The US says Zimbabwean officials detained and then deported United States Agency for International Development (USAID) officials and contractors conducting assessments in Zimbabwe.
According to a statement by US Department of State Spokesperson, Matthew Miller, the incident occurred in February.
''Members of the assessment team were subject to aggressive handling, prolonged interrogation and intimidation, unsafe and forced nighttime transportation, overnight detention and confinement, and forced removal from the country,'' Miller said.
The United States went public with the incident days after it announced sanctions on top Zimbabwean officials, including President Emmerson Mnangagwa, over human rights and corruption concerns.
''As we have made clear in the strongest possible terms to the Government of Zimbabwe, these actions against a team of development professionals legally admitted to Zimbabwe to support the Government of Zimbabwe’s expressed commitment to democratic reform are egregious, unjustified, and unacceptable,'' Miller added in the statement.
The Zimbabwean government has not publicly commented on the allegations.
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